Roselands
Car-reliant, culturally layered Roselands packs 12,356 residents into 2.74 sq km, with density at 4501.8 people per sq km and household income in the 58.5th percentile. Compared with nearby Lakemba and Punchbowl, its housing pattern is more detached and family-sized, with 61.0% separate houses and an average household size of 3.0. The $1,280,625 median house price sits against a high 85.0% car-driver commute share, so access is shaped more by roads and shopping than rail. Overseas-born residents make up 40.6%, which is 19.0 percentage points above the national level, giving Roselands a strong migrant-family character.
Population
12,356
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,685/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
101
Median House
$1.3M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
Homebuyers are mainly paying for family space rather than transport convenience. The median house price is $1,280,625, while the short price series rose from $1,200,000 in 2024 to $1,305,000 in 2025, an 8.8% lift to the latest peak. Detached houses account for 61.0% of stock, and 70.1% of dwellings have 3 or more bedrooms, which suits larger households because the average household size is 3.0. Affordability is tighter than it looks: mortgage payments absorb 31.3% of income, above the common 30% stress line.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are mainly paying for family space rather than transport convenience. The median house price is $1,280,625, while the short price series rose from $1,200,000 in 2024 to $1,305,000 in 2025, an 8.8% lift to the latest peak. Detached houses account for 61.0% of stock, and 70.1% of dwellings have 3 or more bedrooms, which suits larger households because the average household size is 3.0. Affordability is tighter than it looks: mortgage payments absorb 31.3% of income, above the common 30% stress line.
For Investors
Roselands gives investors a mixed signal. Renting covers 30.8% of households and the median rent is $410 a week, but the 8.2% vacancy rate is higher than a tight rental market would normally imply. Demand has support from overseas migration, averaging +195 people a year, while internal movement is negative at -104 a year. Development activity is also elevated, with 95 applications in 12 months, so new supply and duplex-style rebuilding can compete with older rentals. The opportunity is income diversity, but selection matters because vacancy risk is not low.
Development Activity
Total DAs
504
Last 12 Months
101
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+6.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Roselands iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
McCallums Hill Public School
K-6 · 330 students
Demographics
Roselands' population profile is younger than many assume but not youth-heavy: the median age is 38, which is 2.0 years below the national benchmark. Education levels are stronger than average, with 37.5% university-qualified, 7.4 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents make up 40.6%, 19.0 points above national, led by Lebanese, Greek, English and Chinese ancestry counts of 1939, 1855, 1149 and 1141. Arabic is spoken by 1070 people and Greek by 686, reflecting family migration chains and long-settled communities.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
61.0%
Houses
16.5%
Townhouse
22.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Roselands remains a house-led market, but the mix is not uniform. Separate houses make up 61.0%, apartments 22.0% and semi-detached homes 16.5%, placing it between lower-density family suburbs and denser parts of Canterbury-Bankstown. The price record shows a trough of $1,200,000 in 2024 and a peak of $1,305,000 in 2025, with 0.0% fall from peak to latest. Ownership is relatively balanced: 32.2% own outright, 37.0% have a mortgage and 30.8% rent. At roughly 14.9 times annual household income, prices remain high compared with local earnings.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,281
Rent / wk
$410
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$666
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.2%
Unoccupied
352
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
31.3% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
16.7%
Couples, no children
10,456
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce leans toward care, education and service industries rather than a single dominant employer base. Healthcare employs 508 people or 16.1%, followed by education at 348, construction at 319, professional and tech at 303, and retail at 271. Professionals are the largest occupation group with 1059 workers, ahead of clerical/admin at 803 and managers at 604. The economy looks mixed because unemployment is 7.3% and participation is 41.8%, while SEIFA splits show disadvantage pressure in IRSD decile 3 but education and occupation strength in IEO decile 6.
Unemployment
4.8%
Labour Force
8,110
Unemployed
391
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
63.7%
Part-time
29.0%
Participation
41.8%
Employed
3,831
Occupations
Top Industries
University
37.5%
Postgraduate
8.9%
Born Overseas
40.6%
Dwellings
3,960
Transport to Work
Roselands suits households that are comfortable with car-based routines. Car-driver commuting is 85.0%, far higher than public transport at 4.4% and walking or cycling at 3.3%, so daily convenience depends on road access and parking. Local schooling is limited to 1 campus, McCallums Hill Public School, a Government primary with ICSEA 1001 and enrolment of 330; the ICSEA range is therefore 1001 to 1001. Social conditions are uneven but not weak overall, with IRSAD decile 6 above the IRSD decile 3 disadvantage measure, suggesting pockets of pressure beside stable family ownership.
Drive
85.0%
Public Transport
4.4%
Walk / Cycle
3.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.76%/yr
(+117 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is steady rather than transformational. The trend forecast is 0.76% a year, equal to about 117 additional residents annually, and the medium path rises from 15379 in 2026 to 15962 by 2031. Migration explains the pattern: overseas migration is the primary driver at +195 people a year, while internal migration averages -104 a year, so new arrivals offset local outflow. The shift trajectory is Mixed, with rent growth of 32.8% and real income growth of 11.6%. The gentrification score is 4 and the stage is Not gentrifying, below a rapid-renewal profile.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+195
Net Internal / yr
-104
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +13% since 2011, Net internal outflow -104/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Roselands compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Roselands a good suburb to live in?
Roselands can suit families wanting space, with 61.0% separate houses and 70.1% of homes having 3 or more bedrooms. It is more car-dependent than inner suburbs, with 85.0% commuting by car.
What is the median house price in Roselands?
The median house price is $1,280,625. The short price series rose from $1,200,000 in 2024 to $1,305,000 in 2025, an 8.8% gain, with the latest price also the peak.
What schools are in Roselands?
Roselands has 1 local school listed: McCallums Hill Public School, a Government primary with ICSEA 1001 and enrolment of 330. Families may compare nearby suburbs for wider secondary options.
Is Roselands safe?
A suburb-level crime rate per 1,000 residents is not available, so a safety rank should not be overstated. Check specific streets and routines, especially because 85.0% of commuters drive.
Is Roselands good for property investment?
Roselands has 30.8% renters and a $410 median weekly rent, but the 8.2% vacancy rate is higher than tight-market conditions. The 95 recent development applications also point to supply competition.
How is Roselands's population changing?
Population is forecast to grow by 0.76% a year, or about 117 people annually. The medium path reaches 15962 by 2031, driven by +195 overseas migration versus -104 internal migration each year.
What languages are spoken in Roselands?
Roselands is multilingual, with 40.6% of residents born overseas. Arabic has 1070 speakers, Greek 686, Mandarin 213, Canton 198 and Urdu 186, well above a purely English-speaking profile.
How much development is happening in Roselands?
Development activity is high, with 95 applications in the past 12 months. Recent examples include dual occupancy, dwelling house and change-of-use applications, so renewal is occurring at lot level.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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